Former Cheetahs hooker Richardt Strauss is expected to be included in Ireland’s Test squad when it is named later on Wednesday.

Strauss, who has been playing for Irish club Leinster for the past three years, has qualified to play for Ireland on the grounds of residency. According to the Irish Times, he will be named in Declan Kidney’s Ireland squad and is likely to feature when the Irish host South Africa on 10 November.

The 26-year-old hooker has started 56 games for Leinster and played a big part in the club’s winning of the 2010-11 European Cup. Strauss has kept regular Ireland squad member Sean Cronin out of Leinster’s starting side, so it follows that he’s likely to replace Cronin as Ireland’s reserve hooker in the coming Tests against southern hemisphere opposition.